Rams place tag Lamarcus Joyner; Watkins set to be FA

The team announced Tuesday it placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner.

The safety tag number sits at $11.29 million for one season. Sides have until July 16 to hammer out a potential multi-year deal.

The expectation for weeks had been that the Rams prioritized franchising Joyner over free-agent-to-be Sammy Watkins. L.A. had hoped to get a long-term deal done with one in advance of Tuesday’s tag deadline to free the tender for the other, but a pact couldn’t be struck in time.

The decision to prioritize Joyner over Watkins makes the most on-field sense. Joyner is a key chess piece in Wade Phillips’ defense. The 27-year old moved to safety in 2017, thriving in that role. His ability to drop down and play slot corner, where he spent his first three seasons, makes the 5-foot-8 defender a commodity in today’s NFL.

Keeping Joyner, coupled with the pending trade for corner Marcus Peters, provides the Rams’ secondary with proven playmakers at both safety and corner. L.A. is expected to let Trumaine Johnson walk in free agency.